Trial and Error (Hawkins High School 1985 Sequel)
by madmoody
Summary: SEQUEL OF HAWKINS HIGH SCHOOL 1985* Jane Hopper is done with her first semester at school. Winter break means more time with her boyfriend Mike and their friends. Mileven, Lumax, Jopper, and Jancy. Less plot driven than HHS1985, more focused on characterization and fluff
1. Chapter 1

"Let's see how you did, Kiddo!" Hopper was saying as Jane begrudgingly handed him her report card for her first semester. Jane hadn't even looked at it yet, she was too scared.

Hopper opened up the paper, which revealed that she had gotten a B in English, an A in Biology (as a result of Mike help, no doubt), an A- in Algebra, a B+ in Social Studies, an A in Art, and an A in Gym.

Jane watched Hopper's face closely, trying to read his expression. He looked surprised, but that could mean good or bad. Suddenly, Hopper pulled Jane into a hug.

"I am so proud of you," he said into her hair.

"Good?" she asked, leaning away to look at his face.

"Excellent."

* * *

"So, how was the second date, Mom?" Jonathon asked Joyce over breakfast.

"Jonathon!" she said, slightly embarrassed.

"What?" he replied.

"It was good," she said, sipping her coffee to hide her smile.

"Well, if you ever want to invite him and Jane over for dinner, I make a mean broccoli casserole," Jonathon told his mother, laughing.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, giving him a loving elbow. "Is Will still asleep? It's almost ten thirty," Joyce said.

"I'll go get him up. Teenagers sleep a lot," Jonathon reminded her, heading down the hallway to Will's room. "Hey buddy, you up?"

"Yeah," Will said from his bed. He didn't look like he was up. Jonathon laughed and shook his brother awake.

"You're gonna sleep the day away," he told Will. "You must be starting a growth spurt or something," Jonathon said.

"I hope so," Will laughed. He stretched before joining his family for breakfast.

* * *

"Dusty!" Dustin's mom called as Dustin was rushing around the living room. "Where are you going?"

"I'm supposed to go to the arcade with the party and I can't find any quarters, as usual," Dustin explained, still rushing around. He dug a couple out of the couch cushions.

"Well, have fun!" his mom said, as he ran out the door.

"So, you move the joystick like this," Mike was explaining to Jane. Mike really wasn't that good at video games, at least not as good as Max or even Dustin, but he loved teaching Jane new things.

Jane liked the arcade. It was so colorful and vibrant, very different from what she was used to. The cold, bleak, lab, Mike's basement (which was pretty, but mostly wood paneling and muted colors), the cabin, her new house, and school were all very bland. She loved seeing the neon colors and electronic noises. She also like how everyone could just be in their own little world. When she was looking at the screen, no one else seemed to matter. It was like TV, only better.

"You think you're ready to try it?" Mike asked once he'd finished explaining. Jane nodded enthusiastically and pulled out the roll of quarters Hopper had given her. She put two in the machine and got started. 'Super Mario Brothers' popped up on the screen and Jane looked at Mike with that magical look in her eyes when she's seeing something for the first time. She started on the game and her character died pretty quickly.

"It's okay! You can play again," Mike told her, which put the smile back on her face.

"Okay!"

"How in the HELL do you play this so well?" Dustin asked Max as she was totally killing it in Dig Dug.

"It's called talent. It's this thing you have at birth," Max started laughing.

"You're incredible!" Will told Max. "You're about to beat your own high score."

"And that's," Max said, finishing, "how it's done." Max's new high score was 800427.

"That's not even possible," Dustin said in disbelief.

"Just admit that my girlfriend is better at video games than you," Lucas said smugly.

"Yeah, whatever Lucas. I'm better at video games than you!" Dustin and Lucas got into their normal rival arguments that were background noise to Will at this point. He looked over at Jane and Mike who were huddled around Super Mario Brothers. Max walked over to where Will was standing and followed his gaze.

"What's up, Will?" she asked him.

"Oh, uh nothing," Will stammered.

"You wanna try to top my score on Dig Dug?" she offered with raised eyebrows.

"I mean, sure. I probably won't though," Will said, laughing.

"That's part of the fun."

* * *

"I think winter break is my favorite part of school," Jane said while putting more quarters into their game.

"Why's that?" Mike asked, laughing at her comment.

"I get to see you more. And no homework," she explained.

"Just wait until the holidays start. That's the most fun," Mike told her.

"Yeah… Hopper said Christmas is coming up," Jane said. She enjoyed a small Christmas with Hopper last year after closing the gate. He bought her some new clothes and her radio so she could talk to her friends. It was great.

"Maybe you and your dad can stop by my house sometime on Christmas," Mike suggested. "My mom always goes all out for the holidays."

"I'd like that," she replied.

"Guys, Steve's here to pick us up," Dustin said, running up to them.

All six of them piled into Steve's car.

"Make sure you guys have your seatbelts on," Steve commanded as he drove away from the arcade. "How was it?"

"Max is a beast," Will said.

"Yeah yeahh," Dustin said, ignoring how Max was gloating next to him.

"I got princess Daphne in Dragon's Lair," Lucas said smugly.

"I died," Jane told everyone. The whole car laughed at that.

* * *

When Jane got back home, Hopper had dinner waiting for her. It was only macaroni and cheese, but at least Hopper could make that without burning it.

"How was the arcade?" Hopper asked as they sat at the table across from each other.

"Fun," she said. "Better than TV," she commented.

"Ah," Hopper replied, taking a bite.

"What are you getting Joyce for Christmas?" Jane asked.

"Uh- I'm not sure… We've only been on two dates," he stammered, a little put off by the question because he truthfully hadn't even thought of it.

"What should I get Mike?" she continued.

"Well, what things does he like?"

"Me," she said bluntly. Hopper laughed.

"Okay, what else?" Jane thought about that for a moment

"He likes science and movies," she said. That didn't seem to be a right Christmas gift for Mike though, he deserved something more special.

"Hm," Hopper thought. He was at a loss. "You could ask Nancy what to get him. I mean, they live together. She's bound to know something," he came up with.

"Oh! Yeah, that's good," Jane said excitedly. She was definitely going to get Mike the best present ever.

* * *

"Okay… On three," Nancy was saying while she and Jonathon held their letters unopened in their hands. "One…Two…Three!" Both of them ripped the letters opened and slowly read what was inside.

"Nancy…" Jonathon said, looking up. "I got in!"

"Jonathon, so did I!" Both of them started jumping up and down excitedly before Nancy pulled Jonathon in for a kiss. In only a few months, they would both be away at NYU together. Jonathon pulled back, beaming.

"I've never been so… happy," he told her, holding her face in her hands.

"Me neither," she replied, pulling him back for another kiss.

* * *

The first Monday of winter break was spent in the Wheeler's basement. The entire party practically spent the whole day there. They played a couple board games and watched some movies, which was all pretty normal hang out stuff they did together.

"I'm bored," Max announced when the hang out had met a lull.

"What do you suggest we do instead?" Mike replied, snarky.

"We could…" she contemplated. "Play truth or dare."

"I am so in," Dustin stated.

"Sounds fun," Lucas said, grabbing Max's hand.

"Sure," Will said, putting down his sketch pad he was doodling on.

"What is truth or dare?" Jane asked, confused.

"You get asked 'truth or dare' and if you pick truth, you have to answer one question honestly. If you say dare, we make you do something and you can't chicken out of it," Max explained.

"Oh. Cool," Jane said, looking up at Mike.

"Yeah, let's do it," Mike said.

So there they were, circled on the floor criss-cross apple sauce style, in the Mike's basement. Max decided to go first since it was her idea.

"Dustin, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Dustin replied without hesitation.

"I dare you to go upstairs and sniff Nancy's hair," Max decided, grinning.

"Aw shit," Dustin said, immediately regretting his choice.

All of them crept up the stairs to try and get a view as Dustin went into the living room where Jonathon and Nancy were watching TV.

"Nancy?" Dustin asked.

"Uh yeah?" she said, turning.

"What kind of shampoo do you use? I'm taking a pole… for science."

"I don't really…" Nancy started, confused.

"Let me see," Dustin leaned forward and took a quick sniff. "Okay, thanks! Enjoy your show!" Dustin turned on his heel and basically ran back to the basement.

"Holy shit," Lucas said, cackling. "You actually did it."

"Yeah, it's called a dare dipshit," Dustin said defensively as the group sat back down. "Hmmm… Will, truth or dare?"

"Truth?" Will said hesitantly.

"Do you have a crush on Kelly?" Dustin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope," Will said, not meeting anyone's eyes.

"Wow, that was anticlimactic," Dustin noticed.

"Okay… Jane, truth or dare?" Will asked.

"Dare," she said eagerly.

"This is going to be interesting," Lucas muttered.

"I dare you too…" Will thought for a minute. "Spy on our parent's date!" Joyce and Hopper were on _another_ date tonight, and it felt like a waste for Will not to use Jane's abilities to get some inside information. Jane grinned.

"Okay! I need a blindfold," she said. Mike ran up and grabbed some type of cloth which would work.

"If they're doing it, please don't tell us," Dustin muttered, receiving a punch from Will.

"Everyone stop talking," Jane instructed. She was in the void now. It was very dark and black, but she heard something behind her. There her dad was, sitting on the Byers couch with Joyce. Hopper was putting out a cigarette and it seemed like they were watching a movie or something. Suddenly, Hopper turned to Joyce and pulled her into a kiss. Joyce seemed surprised at first, muttering something into his lips. Then she was grabbing at his hair. Jane was horrified. She quickly pulled the blindfold off and everyone was staring at her expectantly. "Yuck," she said.

"No way," Mike mumbled.

"Kissing," she clarified.

"Way to go Hopper," Dustin said, receiving another punch from Will.

"Your turn, Jane," Max said.

"Mike," Jane said, looking at him. The party sighed in slight annoyance. _Who else would she ask?_ "Truth or dare?"

"Truth," he said. Jane puckered her lips, thinking about what to ask.

"Tell us your favorite thing about all of us," Jane decided. She was really trying to get him to tell just her, but figured it would be sort of awkward to leave everyone else out.

"Alright," Mike turned to Lucas, who was on his left. "My favorite thing about you is how you are so determined. I admire that you never give up on what you believe in."

"Oh, it's getting mushy," Dustin whispered, receiving some glares.

"Max, I like how you cool you can be. I was a total dick to you last year and you still risked your ass to help us. I think that's pretty cool," Mike said. Max nodded, but her face revealed a little surprise at his statement.

"Dustin, I like how you can always bring something new to the table. Sometimes you can be really serious and smart and resourceful, but other times you just bring pudding and make us laugh. I think that's something pretty unique and awesome," Mike told him.

"Ha ha," Dustin said smugly. "Unique huh?"

"And Will, I honestly like how you're always there for anyone. You're definitely the most honest and dependable person I've ever met. I feel like I can tell you anything and you would never judge me for it. I really, really appreciate having a friend like you. Well, we all do, considering how many times we've saved your ass," Mike said, making everyone crack a smile.

Will hid his blushing cheeks by looking at the carpet.

"Jane… I like how strong you are. You're extraordinary in every way. You're so resilient and powerful. I don't think the rest of us would even be here if we'd gone through everything you did. I know I wouldn't. You're also so loyal and you protect all of us, even if we don't realize or appreciate it as much as we should," Mike told her.

Jane smiled from ear to ear. That was better than she could have imagined. No one said anything for a minute, until Mike realized it was his turn.

"Lucas, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Lucas said.

"I dare you to do your best impression of someone in this room," Mike decided. Lucas groaned.

"I am _so_ bad at this!"

"Doesn't matter. It's a dare," Mike reminded him.

"Fine!" Lucas looked around the circle, wondering who would be the best to impersonate. Max would be easiest, he decided. But… maybe not the best idea considering he would probably just piss her off. Dustin would work but… he's hard to do an impression of. Mike on the other hand… Lucas looked down at the floor dramatically before lifting his head back up, this time in character. "El, oh my god! I love you so much! I'm so emo without you, I got detention because I wrote 'E+M=true love' in the bathroom stall! Oh and Max, I hate you and you can't join our party!" Lucas broke, laughing hysterically with almost everyone else.

"Oh my god, I hate you," Mike mumbled.

"You asked for an impression," Lucas said, raising his shoulders defensively.

"Yeah, whatever. Who's next?" Mike brushed off.

"Okay, Max. Truth or dare?" Lucas asked. She was the only person who hadn't gone yet.

"You pick," she said nonchalantly.

"Bold… okay," Lucas considered what he would want to ask if he picked truth and what he could make her do if she picked dare. "I dare you to prank call Steve."

"Oh god. What should I say?" Max considered.

"I don't know," Lucas said. "Just make something up!"

"Great," Max mumbled, taking the phone that Mike handed her.

"Make sure you make the call anonymous, I don't want him to think it's us or Nancy," Mike said. Max nodded, typing in the number that Dustin was reciting to her. She heard the ringing and her heart picked up with nerves. It was a little exhilarating for some reason.

"Hello?" she heard Steve pick up on the other line.

"Uh hello," Max said in a fake deep voice. "I just had a question." Max pulled the phone away from her face to laugh.

"Who is this?" Steve asked, annoyed.

"It's…" she panicked, looking around the room for inspiration. "Bilbo Baggins," she decided on, looking at Mike's 'The Hobbit' book. Luckily, Steve had no idea who that was.

"Okay… and what do you want?" Steve questioned.

"Is your refrigerator running?" Now the whole party was cracking up. That was possibly the dumbest joke to use in a prank call.

"Yeah, asshole." Steve hung up, causing even more hysterical laughter from the party.

"That was so dumb," Dustin pointed out, still wheezing.

"I panicked, okay?" Max defended, laughing as well.

"Mike!" Nancy called from the stairs.

"Yeah?" he yelled back.

"It's almost ten, your friends better get going soon," she called down.

"Okay!" Mike replied.

"Yeah, it is kind of late." Lucas muttered, getting up and grabbing his things.

"See you later, Mike!" Dustin said. Max, Dustin and Lucas headed upstairs to get going. Jane and Will also got up, since Jonathon was taking them back to the Byers.

"Goodbye, Mike!" Will said, trudging up the stairs.

"Bye!" he said back. He turned to Jane, giving her a sweet kiss.

"I'll radio you before bed," she told him.

"Promise?"

"I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Glad you guys are enjoying this! Leave me a review and let me know what you think.**

* * *

On the way to the Wheeler front door, Jane pulled Nancy aside to ask her something while the Byers put on their coats.

"Nancy?"

"Yeah?" the older girl replied.

"What does Mike want for Christmas?" Jane asked. Nancy couldn't help but smile. Her little brother's girlfriend was just the cutest thing.

"Well," Nancy pondered. "He does need a new watch. And maybe you could get him something a little more… personal."

"Personal?" Jane was confused. A watch she could get but…

"I'll tell you what. You want to go Christmas shopping with me? We can ask Max if she wants to come too. She probably needs to get Lucas something."

"Yes!" Jane agreed, nodding.

"Okay, I'll call you to set something up!"

* * *

"Jonathon's gonna be home with the kids any minute, Hop!" Joyce half heartedly protested when Hopper began kissing her passionately.

"I know," he said, pulling away from her lips while still holding her face in his hands. He honestly could not get enough of her. Joyce Byers was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It was astonishing that his daughter, who was raised in a lab, could see their chemistry more clearly than either of them could on their own.

"When's date number four?" Joyce asked, glancing up at him with a glint in her eyes.

"Whenever you'd like," Hopper replied. _I've still got it,_ he thought to himself. It was then that they heard a car pulling up on the gravel. Both parents sighed and disentangled themselves from the other. Joyce grabbed the remote and put something on the TV to add some background noise before they came inside.

"Hi guys," Joyce called as her front door opened, her sons and Jane walking inside.

"Hey," Will responded, taking off his coat.

"You ready to get going, Kiddo?" Hopper asked Jane, getting off the couch.

"Sure," she nodded.

"Did you guys have a nice date?" Jonathon asked.

"Mhm," Joyce said, nodding. "See you later, Hop."

"Bye Jane!" Will and Jonathon chorused as the Hoppers exited.

* * *

"What are you getting Jane for Christmas?" Nancy asked, standing in the doorway of Mike's room.

"Why do you need to know?" he deflected. He didn't want his sister to think he was a total sap. He'd already purchased her present and he wanted Jane to be the first to see it.

"Just making sure you were going to get her one," Nancy replied, walking to her room.

"Mike?" he heard over his radio. Mike basically lunged for his radio to answer back to her. As he grabbed it, he closed his bedroom door for some privacy.

"Jane?" he said back breathlessly.

"Are you going to sleep soon?" she asked him. Mike could still not get over how sweet her voice was, though he'd heard it almost every day for a year. It was soft like velvet.

"No, I'm… wide awake," Mike decided. He couldn't keep a grin from forming on his face. For her, he would definitely stay awake.

"I'm not tired either," Jane told him. "Are your parents asleep?"

"I think so," Mike said.

"You should come over," Jane responded simply.

"W-what if we get caught? You're dad would kill me," Mike worried.

"We won't get caught," Jane said devilishly. Mike took a peek out his bedroom door. The house was very quiet. It was almost midnight.

"Okay," Mike agreed.

* * *

Jane heard a light tap on her bedroom window. She was pretty sure Hopper was asleep, but just in case, Jane opened the window slowly to prevent being overheard. That's when she saw Mike, shivering in the snow with a sloppy grin on his face. She couldn't help but laugh lightly. Mike pulled his lanky arms into the house and hoisted the rest of his body into the window frame, careful not to make much noise when he set his feet on the ground. Jane put her finger to her lips to let him know to shush. She then slowly eased the window shut, pleased with how silent they had been.

"Wait here," Jane instructed while Mike peeled his coat and boots off. She opened her door and peeked into the short hallway, happy when she noticed Hopper asleep in his recliner with the TV still on. This was perfect. When she reentered her room, Mike was laying on her bed looking up at her with those big brown eyes and a face full of totally kissable freckles. "I'm glad you came," she said, joining him on her bed.

"Me too," he whispered. Feeling brave, Mike leaned in for a kiss. Jane reacted immediately, deepening the kiss until soon he had rolled over and she was on top of him. She broke the kiss, chuckling lightly. Mike looked up into her endless brown eyes and felt a tightness in his chest that made him feel like he was made of sunshine.

"I love you," Jane said softly, her dimples widening.

"I love you too. So much," Mike replied, pulling her face down to his once more. They kissed again, this time hungrily. Mike rolled her over and grabbed her waist, his body taking over. Jane was loving it. Normally by now, Mike would have stopped and said that their kissing was getting 'too intense'. Jane grabbed Mike's head and pulled him impossibly close, which still wasn't close enough for her liking. Mike's hand on Jane's waist tightened, feeling her skinny frame. It jolted him back, making him realize where things were headed.

"Woah," Mike said, pulling away.

"Aw," Jane whined, knowing this was what was coming. She didn't really see a problem with the intense making out they had been doing.

"We can't get too…" Mike trailed off, his brain slower from limited blood flow.

"Intense," Jane said, shadowing the word they always used to describe it. "Why not?"

"You know," Mike said, blushing. It was true. Jane was in PE, which meant she had health class.

"What's the big deal?" Jane said

"Nothing, I guess. Just don't want to rush anything," Mike explained. He leaned back into the bed to cool down. Soon, Jane was cuddled up next to him cutely, with her head resting on his chest. She liked being here, hearing his breath.

"Maybe I like being close to you because you were the first person to hold me like this," Jane said quietly. Mike swallowed, trying to absorb what she was saying.

"You mean at the lab they didn't, um, hug you or anything?" he asked. He felt like he swallowed a rock.

"Well, Papa held me sometimes when I was good, but not like this. Not like… not like you Mike. You're special," she explained. Mike smiled, but it didn't meet his eyes. The more she opened up to Mike about her childhood, the worse he felt. She deserved so much better.

"I'm always going to be here for you, okay?" Mike said, kissing the top of her head.

"Okay," she replied, nuzzling into him further. Home.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm glad everyone is enjoying this sequel so far! I plan on really developing the characters, so let me know how I'm doing in a review! Enjoy.**

* * *

Mike woke up sometime later that night. He guessed it was probably close to four am. Jane was sleeping soundly in his arms, his hand wrapped around her shoulders. Mike knew he should probably head back to his house before anyone realized he was gone. Sighing, he tried to disentangle himself from Jane. When he stood up, Mike laughed to himself when even in sleep, Jane seemed to pout at his absence in the bed with her. Mike planted a soft kiss on her head before trying to ease the window open. He stepped out onto the snow-littered grass and shut her window behind him, grabbing his bike and riding home.

* * *

Jane woke up in the morning, recalling the events of last night. She could still smell Mike on her sheets. He smelt like fresh laundry and a light breeze. Smiling to herself, she got up to grab breakfast. Her dad had already left for work, so she made her own eggos. There was a note on the fridge in Hopper's disheveled handwriting telling her to call him when she got up. She grabbed the phone and dialed the station number he'd had her memorize a long time ago.

"Hawkins Police Station," Flo answered.

"Hello Mrs. Flo, it's Jane. Can I talk to my dad?" she asked.

"Of course, sweetheart! Just a second." Jane twisted the phone cord between her fingers.

"Jane?" Hopper answered.

"Yes. You said to call," she said, slightly annoyed.

"That's correct. Okay, I just wanted to let you know that you have a doctor's appointment today, Dr. Owen's squeezed you in. I'll be home at two-thirty to pick you up, okay? So don't go anywhere and be ready by then," Hopper explained.

"Why do I have to go to the doctor's?" Jane wondered. She wasn't sick.

"Just a check-up," Hopper said. "Okay, I'll see you later, alright?"

"Okay. Bye!" Jane hung up, still confused as to why she needed a doctor's appointment. Her eggos were done, so she didn't think about it for long. She simply started eating.

* * *

"You sure slept in, Michael," his mother noticed when he came down the steps for breakfast.

"Maybe I'm growing again," he told her, knowing that would most likely divert Karen's suspicions.

"I've already bought you three new sets of jeans in the past six months," she said exhaustedly. "You're already as tall as your father. You need to quit growing," she teased.

"I know, I know," Mike nodded, grabbing some cereal to eat.

"Mike, do you think you can babysit Holly today? I have to run errands, your father's at work, and Nancy has plans with her girlfriends," Mike's mom asked him.

"Uh, yeah that's fine." Mike honestly didn't mind. Holly was well behaved, very easy to babysit. "Do you care if Dustin, Lucas and Will come over?"

"That's fine. Just the boys though, right?" Karen was really wondering if this was all a ploy for some alone time with Jane.

"Yeah, just the boys." She decided to trust him.

* * *

"You look chipper, Chief," Steve noticed, standing in the doorway of his office.

"What, are you brown-noising or something now, Harrington?" Hopper replied, putting his feet up on his desk.

"Nope. Just curious if this has something to do with a certain single mom on Murkwood," Steve teased. "How's that going?"

"What's it to you?" Hopper said defensively.

"I'm just wondering, sheesh. Mrs. Byers is awesome. I wish she was my mom," Steve said. "Anyways, don't mess it up with her, that's all I'm saying."

"Trust me, I know." Hopper's face betrayed him by igniting in a smile.

"When are you taking Jane to the Doc's?" Steve asked.

"Her appointment is at three," Hopper told him.

"I hope Owen's is wrong," Steve muttered.

"Me too."

* * *

Jane's favorite soap opera was interrupted with a phone call. Sighing, she stood to answer it.

"Hello?

"Hi Jane, it's Nancy," the other voice informed her.

"Oh, what's up?" Jane asked.

"Just calling to see when you want to go shopping. Christmas is only four days away, so we don't have much time."

"I have to go to the doctor's today, but maybe tomorrow," Jane offered.

"Okay. Let's say, noon? And tell Max I'll take her too if she wants," Nancy decided.

"Thank you," Jane said.

"No problem. See you tomorrow.'

* * *

"I'm taking Jane and Max shopping tomorrow," Nancy told Mike when she hung up the phone.

"Oh, cool," Mike replied from the couch where he was watching cartoons with Holly.

"Yeah, I hope she doesn't get me sick. She said she's going to the doctor's today," Nancy said, putting on her coat.

"She's not sick," Mike blurted.

"Oh. Why does she have a doctor's appointment then?"

"I don't know," Mike uttered. "Probably a check-up," he reasoned.

"Yeah, anyways, I'll be back later. Don't forget to cut the crust off of Holly's sandwich,' Nancy said as she left.

"I won't."

* * *

Joyce pulled up at the Wheeler's to drop off Will.

"I'll pick you up at five, okay?" Joyce said.

"Yeah, thanks," Will replied, getting out of the car.

"Have fun!" Joyce called as Will shut the door and waved as he walked up to the doorstep. Will noticed Lucas and Dustin's bike's next to the garage, so everyone had already arrived.

"Will," Mike called as he opened the door for their friend.

Dustin was playing Barbie's with Holly in the living room, where Mike and Lucas and Will were sitting on the couch making fun of him.

"Ken is a boy's toy," Dustin muttered. He honestly loved playing with Holly. Dustin often wished he had a sibling, so this was totally fun to him.

"Mike, you play too!" Holly demanded.

"Okay, fine," he agreed, joining them on the floor. Soon, all four boys were immersed in an intense Barbie game. They each had personalities and backstories for their Barbie characters. Turns out, Barbie is a lot like D&D if you play it right. Holly grew bored of them as soon as they boys started creating storylines for the dolls and put on a movie, to the boy's delight. Now they could actually talk.

"You're never gonna guess what happened last night," Mike said in a hushed voice.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"I snuck out and went to Jane's," Mike told them.

"Holy shit, no way! Did Hopper murder you?" Dustin wondered.

"No, he doesn't know," Mike said smugly.

"Ballsy, Wheeler. I'll give you that," Lucas murmured.

"You guys didn't…" Will clarified, his mind wandering.

"No, of course not!" Mike replied, blushing.

"Okay, good," Will sighed.

"It's kind of weird, because Nancy said Jane was going to the doctor's today, but she wasn't sick last night. I guess it could be a check-up, but…" Mike trailed off.

"It's probably just a check-up," Dustin agreed nonchalantly.

"Or maybe Dr. Owen's just needs to run some tests on her," Will uttered. They all looked at him with sympathy.

"Yeah, maybe that's it."

* * *

"Alrighty, Jane! How're you feeling?" Dr. Owen's asked when she was sitting in the examining chair.

"Fine," she replied.

"Glad to hear it! Let's get started then, shall we?" Dr. Owen's began a normal check-up routine, using his stethoscope, getting her blood pressure, weighing her, and checking her tonsils. "Can I have you lay on your back for me, Jane?"

"Okay," she responded. Jane was trying really hard not to feel like she was in the lab again. Hopper's presence in the corner of the room soothed her worries, though. She was never going back there. The doctor began feeling her abdomen, as if he was looking for something.

"Okay, can you answer some questions for me, Jane?" Dr. Owen's asked.

"Yes."

"Good! Have you started your menstrual cycle yet?"

"No."

"Have you experienced cramps or any discomfort in you lower stomach?"

"No."

"Okay, would you mind if we ran a test very quickly? We're going to do an X-ray to see how you're looking on the inside," Dr. Owens explained. Hopper was feeling nervous, but the doctor was very skilled in wording things in a way that seemed to calm people down.

"Okay," Jane agreed.

* * *

"So, what are we looking at, doc?" Hopper asked while Jane was outside in the waiting room.

"I was right. She isn't just a late bloomer. She hasn't started menstruating because Dr. Brenner must have had her sterilized." Hopper's face dropped.

"What? She was a _child!_ How could they have done that to a ten-year old kid! Or even younger!" Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I know this is very upsetting. I, for one, can hardly believe it myself. But you can't tell her yet," Owens told him. "She needs a little longer to mature before she'll understand."

"How long?" Hopper asked.

"A couple months, maybe four?"

"Okay," Hopper said, standing.

"I'm very sorry. I really hoped I was wrong about this but…"

"I know." Hopper left the room, already pulling out the cigarette he was planning to light as soon as he was out of the building. "You ready?" Hopper said to Jane. She stood from her seat and they walked out to his car.

"Good?" Jane asked once they were inside the cab.

"You're healthy," Hopper replied, trying not to let his face show anything. He exhaled cigarette smoke as he backed out of the lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**I know you all probably hate me because of the last chapter, but I had to! It seems realistic to me that the lab would have done something like that to her. Anyways, this is a happy chapter! Leave a review and let me know what you think! Enjoy.**

* * *

"I'm glad she killed him, because if she hadn't I'd kill him for this," Joyce said coldly as she and Hopper shared a cigarette at her kitchen table.

"When the Owens asked me to bring her in, he said it was because of _suspicions._ I never in a million years thought it would be true. He said that it might be an unintentional consequence of treatment, whatever the hell that means," Hopper sighed angrily.

"It makes me so angry…" Joyce said. Hopper looked at her with a mix of sadness and hatred. She grabbed his arm. "Don't let it ruin your Christmas. Enjoy your time with her. We'll tell her in a while," Joyce consoled.

"You're right, there's nothing we can do about it. But smashing some skulls would feel pretty good right about now," he mentioned, taking a long drag.

* * *

"So, do you like any of these?" Nancy said, pointing to some of the watches in the store. There were colorful one, (not the kind the Mike would normally wear) and some more muted, pretty ones. Jane didn't think any of them were screaming 'Mike' to her and she shook her head.

"This is going to take all day," Max teased, watching Jane struggle to make a decision for her boyfriend's Christmas present. Max played it safe and bought Lucas a camouflage sweater and some socks.

"What about that?" Jane said, her eyes moving over to a small area of the store where there were compasses.

"Oh, these are cool. Mike would totally dig something this nerdy," Nancy said, causing Max to snort.

"Are you ladies interested in these fine compasses here?" the salesperson asked, walking their way. He was an older man with a kind face and Jane guessed he was probably the store owner.

"Yes," Jane replied, pointing to a gold one with reminded her of when they walked the train tracks together looking at a similar colored compass.

"These make excellent presents," the old man said with a smile. "I could even engrave it for you, if you'd like."

Jane glanced down at the fifty dollars that Hopper had given her this morning to buy presents with. "How much?" Jane asked.

"I may be old, but I'm no Scrooge," the man said with a wink. "No extra charge. Consider it the Christmas spirit."

"Thank you!" Jane responded.

"What would you like on it?"

Max hovered near Nancy while Jane was chatting with the storeowner. The two girls weren't close at all, in fact they'd only really met each other when Max was hanging out at Mike's or Will's and Nanny had been around. The two browsed around, looking at the other trinkets inside the tiny store.

"You and Jane seem to have gotten close this year," Nancy said with a knowing glance.

"Yeah. I think she finally figured out I wasn't a threat to her and Mike," Max explained with a laugh.

"God help any random girl who makes a move on my brother," Nancy muttered, causing Max to laugh.

"Oh yeah. Not that he would even give anyone else a second glance," Max told her.

"Definitely. He's in deep," Nancy told Max. "But I've never seen him happier."

"You seem like a pretty cool older sister," Max noticed.

"Thank you," Nancy said earnestly. She bet Max probably always wanted an older sibling, considering how terrible Billy was to her.

"All done!" Jane said, holding up her bag to them.

"Alright, next store," Nancy said, all three girls heading out.

* * *

Will sat down in his room. It was the perfect time to prepare Jonathon's Christmas gift since he was picking up a shift at the grocery store (most likely to make some cash to buy Nancy a nice gift). Will pulled out the blank tape which he had labeled with marker 'Jonathon's Mix-tape, Love Will'. While Will put the tape into his boombox, he wondered what presents his mom and brother had gotten him. Will was very aware that he was spoiled by them… he was the youngest and had almost died like a bunch of times, so he understood it. Will was trying to return the favor by making Jonathon a mix tape and he'd painted his mother a family portrait (which he considered his best work to date). For him, Christmas couldn't come soon enough.

* * *

Dustin and Steve exited the theater from seeing "The Jewel of the Nile'. It was pretty crowded at the Hawkin's movie theater and they were walking out with a large crowd.

"That movie was so good," Dustin raved, still munching on his leftover popcorn.

"Oh yeah," Steve agreed, although truthfully, Steve had been confused almost the entire movie.

"You wanna grab some dinner before I drop you off?" Steve offered.

"Damn, I can't turn down some free food," Dustin said, shrugging. They walked across the street to a small diner (Steve's deputy salary wasn't big enough to spot them at any fancy restaurant, not that either of them minded, they simply enjoyed each other's company).

Once they'd placed their orders and were sipping some water from the booth, both boys found themselves in an interesting predicament. Nancy and Max, two girls who had turned the boys down at some point, walked into the diner, arm-in-arm with none other than Jane Hopper.

Steve and Dustin shared a glance before they were spotted.

"Dustin! Steve!" Jane called, walking over to give them both a little hug.

"Hey, girly," Steve replied.

"Sup, Jane?" Dustin said.

"Hi Nance," Steve greeted her.

"Hey Max," Dustin waved.

"We just came from a bunch of stores," Jane bragged, the smile on her face unfaltering.

"Nice! I bet you got Mike something, huh?" Dustin teased.

"Yeah," Jane said seriously. Her social cues still needed some work.

"Sounds like fun. Girl's night," Steve said.

"Yeah, totally," Nancy said. "These girls need me, they're always hanging out with you boys," Nancy joked.

"Oh, you are so right," Max agreed.

"Well, we'd better get a table," Nancy said.

"Okay! Have a good dinner," Steve said, waving as the trio walked away.

"What are the chances?" Dustin muttered, taking a frustrated sip of his water. Although there was no ill will between any of them, there were usually people like Mike and Lucas to act as buffers so it was never awkward. Unfortunately, Jane wasn't as skilled in de-awkwarding situations. The girls were quickly forgotten when their food arrived.

* * *

"So, tomorrow's Christmas Eve, what are you two's plans?" Nancy asked after they'd ordered.

"I'm visiting Mama and Aunt Becky," Jane explained. She wasn't exactly excited to go because seeing her Mama made her sad, but it would be nice to see her anyways.

"My dad's driving out for the holidays, so that'll be interesting. He's supposed to get her tomorrow. It's my first Hargrove-free Christmas, so that's exciting," Max told them.

"That sounds very fun," Nancy smiled. "We're going to my grandma's."

"Cool," Max said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Say, Jane, you haven't seen Mike in a couple days. That's unusual," Nancy noticed. It was strange for the pair to not have hung out in two or three days.

"Just busy," Jane shrugged. Little did they know that Mike had been sneaking out and visiting her the past three nights...

* * *

"How was shopping?" Hopper asked when Jane walked in, waving to Nancy as she drove away.

"Lots of fun," Jane responded. She walked right into her room to hide her bags. She didn't want her gift for Hopper to get spoiled.

"Glad to hear it," Hopper told her. Jane came back into the living room to sit on the couch with her dad. He was watching some sappy Christmas movie, which totally matched their house for this time of year. The Hopper living room was decorated with two stockings and an interestingly decorated tree, done by Jane herself. It had multicolor lights wrapped around tightly, with huge bulbs and photographs planted strategically in it's branches. There were pictures from the snowball, homecoming, or any other good ones Jonathon or someone had taken of her and her friends. Jane rested her head on Hopper's shoulder and sighed contentedly. She was excited for the Holidays, there was no denying that.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm sorry for how late this chapter is. I had personal issues to deal with, but anyways, this chapter is fluffy adorableness! Enjoy and leave me a review so I know how I'm doing!**

* * *

"Dad! Wake up! It's Christmas!" Jane said, shaking Hopper excitedly.

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming," Hopper grumbled. Reluctantly, Hopper got up from his bed and made his way to the kitchen to start the coffee pot. Jane was literally jumping up and down, her curls bouncing wildly on her shoulders as she waited for him to get settled so she could start opening presents. After what seemed like an eternity, Hopper made his way to the recliner, where he put his Santa hat on, which elicited a giggle from Jane. Hopper thought she looked so young and carefree in this moment, as if her years of trauma melted away and she was suddenly a kid again.

"Can I start now?" Jane asked, sitting on her knees in front of the tree.

"Yes," Hopper nodded, taking a sip. He actually was starting to like Christmas again.

* * *

"Mikey!" a tiny voice whispered, stirring Mike from a dream.

"What?" Mike murmured, still dozing.

"It's Christmas!" Holly's tiny hands shook Mike's shoulders.

"Go wake up Nancy," Mike said, rubbing his eyes.

"I did."

"Mom?"

"Already up."

"Dad?"

"He slept in the Lazy-Boy, he's already downstairs," Holly said matter-of-factly.

"Fine, I'm coming!"

* * *

"Will! Merry Christmas, buddy," Jonathon called as Will walked out of the hallway into the living room.

"Merry Christmas, guys," Will said back, sitting down at the table.

"French toast," Joyce said, handing Will a plate and kissing his hair before sitting back down at the table.

"It's delicious, Mom," Will told her after taking a bite, smiling.

"Don't forget to chew," Jonathon teased, watching his growing brother demolish his plate.

"I just want to get to the good part," Will said, glancing at the tree. "Done!" he said, showing off his plate before rushing over to see what was in his stocking. Jonathon grabbed Bob's video camera and started recording the present openings. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

* * *

"I must have good taste," Hopper commented as Jane emerged from her bedroom, wearing a dress he had bought her for Christmas, (but to be fair, Joyce had picked it out).

"I love it!" Jane replied, doing a twirl. The dress did suit her. It was red, long sleeved, with a thicker material that was almost sweater-like that hugged her upper-body and separated at the waist into a skirt that hung to her knees.

"Are you ready to go to the Wheeler's? You have Mike's present?" Hopper asked, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything.

Jane held up her tiny wrapped box that was topped with a bow.

"Right here!"

"Alright, let's hit the road."

* * *

"Michael! Jane and the Chief are here!" Karen called up the steps, still holding a bowl in her hand and mixing.

"Coming!" Mike practically flew down the stairs. He opened the door just as they reached the step. "Merry Christmas!" Mike said, grinning.

"Merry Christmas, Mike," Jane said, her doe eyes making Mike's stomach do backflips.

"Happy Holidays, Kid," Hopper said, giving Mike a hard shoulder pat.

"Dinner's almost ready. I can take your presents and put them under the tree," Mike offered, grabbing the box from Jane and a bag from Jim, leading them into the living room where he set them under the tree, along with a couple other unopened gifts.

"Nice to see ya," Ted said, giving Hopper an awkward handshake.

"Uh, yeah," Hopper responded, taking a seat on the couch.

"Jane! Merry Christmas," Holly called, running up to give the older girl a hug.

"Merry Christmas, Holly," Jane told her. Jane couldn't help but laugh at how adorable Mike's baby sister was.

"I think she likes Jane more than you, Mike," Nancy said, coming around the corner.

"Oh, I know she does," Mike snorted.

"Merry Christmas!" Nancy said, pulling Jane into a hug and offering a handshake to Hopper.

"Hi, everyone! I'm so glad you could come! Dinner is almost done, so go ahead and take your seat at the table!" Karen said, sipping her glass of wine and she untied her apron from her waist.

* * *

"Oh!" Joyce actually gasped aloud when Will presented his family portrait to her, which was wrapped in just a single bow on the corner of the canvas.

"Do you like it?" Will asked, holding back a laugh.

"It's beautiful! Will, this is so sweet!" His mother pulled him into a hug that was so tight that it almost crushed his little body. "I love it!" Suddenly Joyce was standing, grabbing her tools from under the sink and nailing the spot above the fireplace.

"Mom," Jonathon said, half laughing at how spontaneous she was. In a matter of minutes, the Byers family portrait was hung proudly.

* * *

"Karen, you outdid yourself! This prime rib was to die for," Hopper said, leaning back in his chair.

"Seconds?" Karen asked, smiling.

"Oh, why the hell not? It's Christmas," Hopper decided, handing off his plate to be refilled.

"Are you finished eating?" Mike asked. Jane nodded and he grabbed both of their plates, motioning her to follow him. After he'd dropped the plates off in the sink, he grabbed her hand and led her upstairs.

"What is it?" Jane questioned when Mike led her up to his bedroom.

"Just wanted to give you your present in privacy," Mike said with a shrug, his eyes gleaming.

"Oh. Yours is still downstairs," Jane mentioned. Was she supposed to give presents in private with her boyfriend? This whole 'holiday' thing was really confusing and she was still sort of new at it.

"That's fine! I just wanted to give you yours in here," Mike explained. Jane nodded and watched as Mike pulled a box out of his closet. It was wrapped in colorful paper with a big bow on top.

"Is this for me?" Jane asked, slightly flustered.

"Well yeah. You're my girlfriend! I wish I could have gotten you more, but I was running low on cash and Nancy wouldn't appreciate me stealing money from her again so…" Mike rambled, his cheeks burning. "Go ahead," Mike said, handing Jane the box as they both sat on his bed. Jane started ripping the paper off and got the box open. Inside, she saw a large record called ' _Synchronicity'._ Jane picked record up and couldn't help but grin when she understood. It was an album by 'The Police', which held the song ' _Every breath you take'._ Jane laughed.

"The Snowball!" she exclaimed.

"I figured since you liked that song so much, you might like the whole album too," Mike said sheepishly.

"I love it!" Jane said, pulling Mike into a hug.

"There's more inside," Mike told her when she pulled away. Mike loved the awestruck way she reacted when there were new experiences she was introduced to. It was one of the thousands of reasons he loved her.

Jane reached again into the box and pulled out a smaller box. She slowly opened it, her heart racing when she noticed something shiny inside. It was a necklace in the shape of a heart. It was silver through and through, which Mike guessed would compliment Jane's chocolate eyes and curls.

"Mike," Jane said breathlessly. "It's beautiful."

"Do you want me to put it on you?" he offered. Jane nodded with a grin. Mike clasped the chain around her neck while she held her hair. She turned and looked at him once it was on. "It looks great on you," Mike told her. Jane stood up and looked in Mike's mirror.

"Pretty?" she asked.

"Yeah. Really pretty."

* * *

Hopper had just sat down on the Wheeler's couch when Mike and Jane walked down the stairs.

"Where'd you get that?" Hopper asked, pointing to Jane's necklace.

"It's my present from Mike," she explained, smiling from ear to ear.

"Nice one, Kid," Hopper said, looking at Mike. "Well, aren't you going to give him is?"

"Oh yeah," Jane said, grabbing her little box from under their tree and handing it to Mike.

"Thank you," Mike told her.

"You haven't even opened it yet," she reminded him.

"I'm working on it," Mike teased. Hopper rolled his eyes… _those two._

When Mike got the paper off, he opened the white box to find bubble wrap. He pulled out a lump and took the bubble wrap off, putting it to the side since he knew Holly loved to pop that stuff. When he was holding the gift plainly in his hand, Mike got instantly sentimental. Jane had bought him a compass, which made him nostalgic of that week they'd spent together when they'd first met, walking along the train tracks together.

"Open it," Jane said excitedly, watching his face carefully.

Mike opened the face of the compass. The inside was also beautiful, but what made Mike's heart stop in his throat was the inscription.

 _Promise: Something that you can't break...Ever_

 _-Jane El Hopper_

 _Christmas, 1985_

Jane watched Mike's eyes get soft as he read her message.

"I love it so much," he told her. Jane felt butterflies hearing him say that.

"Let me see," Karen said, coming up to read what was making her boy close to happy tears. "Isn't that just the cutest?" Mrs. Wheeler held the compass up to Hopper and Ted, who both nonchalantly nodded in agreement.

"Mom, stop," Mike mumbled.

"Oh, fine! You're no fun," his mom relented, handing his gift back to him. "Jane, we got you a little something, from the whole family." Karen told her, pulling a bag from under the tree.

"Thank you," Jane said, her eyes sparkling as she took the bag. All eyes were on her as she pulled the tissue paper out to reveal what was inside. Jane pulled out a black book. She opened the first page and realized it was a photo album.

"There's only one picture," Nancy explained. "But, we thought you could add all the other one's you'd like."

The first and only picture was Jane and Mike posing on the Wheeler's staircase before homecoming.


End file.
